A-levels are not the only route

A report from the Learning and Skills Development Agency highlights the need for better awareness of alternative routes to higher education (HE) through vocational courses and advanced apprenticeships and sets out the issues that will need to be addressed. The report gives examples of successful models of vocational routes to HE, many of them developed by employers. Examples from four employment sectors -- agriculture and horticulture, automotive engineering, health and social care, and travel services -- include foundation degrees related to specific occupations and employer-designed apprenticeship schemes. The report concludes that a significant part of the process of achieving parity of esteem between vocational and academic pathways into HE is changing the mindset of those in education and in employment, who, by their very actions, whether it be in providing advice and guidance, or recruiting and promoting personnel, or regulating entry to certain occupations, send out strong signals about the value and worth of certain types of education and training provision.